Hi. I'm new to this forum and new to grilling & smoking. I'm sure I will be asking for alot of advice. I have just purchased a CG smoker pro and will be seasoning it this weekend. I have read BBQzees thread on how to season it. I would to try a simple thing first like smoking a whole chicken. What advice can you give me about how to prepare the chicken, and cooking times for smoking the chicken. Thanks for any input.

Last edited by csbrass on Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I know you just spent a lot of money on your new CG, but if you have a LITTLE more left, a wireless thermometer would be a great investment. You'll find most people here wisely cook to temperature, and not time. Smoking is a cooking method that rewards the virtue of patience.

It's good to start out with a chicken to build confidence (and if you DO mess up a little, you didn't do it to a $70 rib roast !!.) There are lots of chicken recipes on here (smoked, rotissed and grilled.)

Beer Can Chicken is a perennial favorite, and guaranteed to stay moist. You might want to start with that.

Being new to grilling and smoking, I would suggest you take a look at Steven's book, "How to Grill". It teaches about the gear, techniques and food for outdoor cooking. This book taught me a lot even though I felt confident cooking outdoors and every recipe we've cooked has been delicious. (Serious, this is not a commercial)

I like to cook chicken at a higher heat, around 325° or so, to help get a crispy skin. Cooking it at 225°, low-n-slow, will give it a rubbery, chewy texture which most folks don't care for. If I cook it low-n-slow, the dogs usually get the skin. I cook dark meat to 175° to 180° and white meat 160° to 165°. When cooking whole birds, you'll want to geive special attention to monitoring the white meat so that it doesn't over cook and dry out.

Grilled and smoked chicken can have some "pink" in the meat even though it is fully cooked. This is disturbing to some people because they think it is still raw. That is why it is important to cook it to temperature, so you know it's done.

Being new to grilling and smoking, I would suggest you take a look at Steven's book, "How to Grill". It teaches about the gear, techniques and food for outdoor cooking. This book taught me a lot even though I felt confident cooking outdoors and every recipe we've cooked has been delicious. (Serious, this is not a commercial)

Being new to grilling and smoking, I would suggest you take a look at Steven's book, "How to Grill". It teaches about the gear, techniques and food for outdoor cooking. This book taught me a lot even though I felt confident cooking outdoors and every recipe we've cooked has been delicious. (Serious, this is not a commercial)

I have been reading the BCC recipe in "How to Grill" and I have a couple of questions. 1, Is it nescessary to place something in the neck hole of the chicken while it's cooking? 2, Is it helpful to coat the skin with olive oil to help it get crispy? I plan to use the basic rub from How toGrill to season the chicken. I have also purchased a wireless temp probe as well and will be using it during the process. Even though I have a SFB, I'll probably do indirect grilling for my first attempt. I will greatly appreciate any advice.

Welcome to the board, csbrass! And congrats on getting How To Grill - you'll find it full of great information.

To answer your questions:

1) Yes, it's a good idea to block up the neck hole as it helps keep in the steam from the beer can and keeps the bird from drying out. You can either skewer the skin flap shut, or you can block it up with a conveniently-sized vegetable, like a potato or an onion (my personal choice).

2) Yes, it's a good idea to coat the skin first with EVOO, as it helps the rub stick to the skin better. You can also sprinkle some herbs or rub under the skin itself, and this adds a bit to the taste as well.

Since you're using a CG, one thing that might help would be to plave the ckicken close to the hole for the side firebox. There's usually a lot more heat there, and this will help to crisp up the skin.

If you're able, please post some pics, as we'd love to see how things turn out.

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.

Welcome aboard one of the reason I love this place is all the advice and help you can get. As you go along in your grilling/smoking adventure and you have questions come on in and ask away also feel free to jump in and share any tips you may have. Once you get that BCC under your belt and would like to try smoking something different I highly recommend getting a Boston Butt this is also a very forgiving cut of meat.